AIR Joins Higher Ed Groups Opposing Proposed EDGAR Grant Rule
AIR has joined the American Council on Education (ACE) and other higher education associations in a comment letter opposing the U.S. Department of Education's proposed changes to the Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) (Docket No. ED-2026-OPEPD-2542).
EDGAR sets the foundational rules for how the Department administers its grant programs. The proposed rule, published in the Federal Register on August 24, 2026, would revise those rules and, the letter warns, import many provisions from the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) separate proposed rule on federal grants—the same rule AIR and dozens of associations opposed this summer.
The letter raises several concerns. It says the rule would let political appointees make final funding decisions and suspend or terminate multi-year awards rather than rely on expert merit review; create a competitive preference for applicants that propose lower indirect cost rates, undercutting institutions' negotiated rates; add vague new grant-selection criteria; require formula-grant recipients to comply with executive orders; and drop the requirement to publish grant notices and maximum award amounts in the Federal Register, reducing transparency.
For Institutional Research and Effectiveness (IR/IE) professionals at institutions that rely on federal grants, the changes could reshape how competitive and formula grants are awarded, funded, and reported, with downstream effects on the data and processes behind sponsored programs. The signatories urge the Department to withdraw the proposed changes and work with the community on any technical updates, noting that Congress has blocked the related OMB rule until at least December 11, 2026.